From Our Special Correspondent
GUWAHATI: Forum Against Citizenship Act Amendment Bill (FACAAB), a group comprising senior intellectuals and leading citizens, has demanded a stringent law for protection of journalists in the wake of growing incidents of attacks on people associated with the Fourth Estate.
Three media correspondents, including a lady, have been physically assaulted in separate incidents across Assam last month.
Addressing reporters here on Thursday, FACAAB chairman, Hiren Gohain, on behalf of the forum, strongly condemned the growing physical attacks, terming them to be an assault of not just the Fourth Estate but of democracy at large.
“Although not new, this trend of physical assaults on journalists has grown over the years in Assam. The forum strongly condemns such attacks on media persons and demands a stringent law for providing journalists the freedom to report what needs to be reported,” Gohain said.
“We suspect a political role behind the attacks on journalists who criticise or report against the policies of the government,” Gohain added.
Forum convenor, Manjit Mahanta demanded a high-level inquiry into the recent attack on a correspondent of an Assamese newspaper at Mukalmua in lower Assam, in the wake of allegations of a BJP legislator associated with the incident.
“The state government should immediately institute a high-level probe to find out if there is any political involvement in the crime and also ensure prevention of such attacks on scribes in future,” Mahanta said.
